Wheel track monitoring system for an irrigation system

Abstract

A wheel track monitoring system for an irrigation system monitors the condition of a wheel track and alerts an operator and/or automatically takes corrective action when a wheel track develops ruts or other conditions that may adversely affect operation of the irrigation system. The wheel track monitoring system includes a wheel track condition sensor, a location sensor, and a processing system. The processing system receives and stores wheel track condition data and location data from the sensors as the irrigation system travels across a field and creates a log of wheel track condition data for multiple locations in the field. The processing system also analyzes the wheel track condition data to determine if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable at any locations in the irrigated field and generates a corrective action signal if the condition is unacceptable.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 
     
       1. A wheel track monitoring system for an agricultural mobile irrigation system, the wheel track monitoring system comprising:
 a wheel track condition sensor comprising a LIDAR sensor for sensing a condition of a wheel track created by the mobile irrigation system and generating corresponding wheel track condition LIDAR data, wherein the condition of the wheel track is formed behind the mobile irrigation system; 
 a processing system in communication with the wheel track condition sensor and operable to—
 analyze the wheel track condition LIDAR data to determine if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable; 
 generate a corrective action signal if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable at any locations of the mobile irrigation system, the corrective action signal including instructions for adjusting a water application rate of the mobile irrigation system; and 
 transmit the corrective action signal to a control system that controls operation of the mobile irrigation system. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising a location sensor for sensing locations of the mobile irrigation system and generating corresponding location data. 
     
     
       3. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the processing system is further operable to store the wheel track condition LIDAR data and the location data for a plurality of locations of the mobile irrigation system as it moves. 
     
     
       4. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the corrective action signal indicates the locations at which the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable. 
     
     
       5. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the corrective action signal includes at least a portion of the wheel track condition LIDAR data for each of the locations at which the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable. 
     
     
       6. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising a telemetry unit for transmitting the corrective action signal to a computer device remote from the wheel track monitoring system. 
     
     
       7. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the condition of the wheel track sensed by the wheel track condition sensor is a condition selected from the group consisting of a width of the wheel track, a depth of the wheel track, and a water content of soil within the wheel track. 
     
     
       8. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the processing system determines if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable by comparing the wheel track condition LIDAR data to historical wheel track condition LIDAR data to determine if the condition of the wheel track has deteriorated over time. 
     
     
       9. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the processing system determines if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable by comparing the wheel track condition LIDAR data to threshold condition levels. 
     
     
       10. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the location sensor is a GNSS receiver. 
     
     
       11. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions for operating the agricultural irrigation system are instructions selected from the group consisting of stopping movement of the agricultural irrigation system, increasing a speed of the agricultural irrigation system, increasing a speed of the agricultural irrigation system, stopping water discharge from the agricultural irrigation system, draining water from the agricultural irrigation system, reversing direction of the agricultural irrigation system, and changing steering direction of the agricultural irrigation system. 
     
     
       12. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further operable to store temporal information corresponding to when the wheel track condition LIDAR data was generated. 
     
     
       13. A wheel track monitoring system for an agricultural mobile irrigation system, the wheel track monitoring system comprising:
 a wheel track condition sensor comprising a RADAR sensor for sensing a condition of a wheel track created by the agricultural mobile irrigation system and generating corresponding wheel track condition RADAR data, wherein the condition of the wheel track is formed behind the agricultural mobile irrigation system; 
 a location sensor for sensing locations of the agricultural mobile irrigation system and generating corresponding location data; 
 a processing system in communication with the wheel track condition sensor and the location sensor and operable to—
 store the wheel track condition RADAR data and the location data for a plurality of locations of the agricultural mobile irrigation system as it moves across an irrigated field; 
 analyze the wheel track condition RADAR data to determine if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable at any locations of the agricultural mobile irrigation system as it moves across an irrigated field; 
 generate a corrective action signal if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable at any locations of the agricultural mobile irrigation system, wherein the corrective action signal indicates the locations at which the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable and includes at least a portion of the wheel track condition RADAR data for each of the locations at which the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable, wherein the corrective action includes instructions to adjust a water application rate of the agricultural mobile irrigation system. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 13 , further comprising a telemetry unit for transmitting the corrective action signal to a computer device remote from the wheel track monitoring system. 
     
     
       15. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the condition of the wheel track sensed by the wheel track condition sensor is a condition selected from the group consisting of a width of the wheel track, a depth of the wheel track, and a water content of soil within the wheel track. 
     
     
       16. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the processing system determines if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable by comparing the wheel track condition RADAR data to historical wheel track condition RADAR data to determine if the condition of the wheel track has deteriorated over time. 
     
     
       17. The wheel track monitoring system as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the processing system determines if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable by comparing the wheel track condition RADAR data to threshold condition levels. 
     
     
       18. An agricultural mobile irrigation system comprising:
 a plurality of spaced-apart and interconnected mobile towers; 
 a fluid distribution conduit supported by the mobile towers and connected to a source of fluids; 
 a plurality of fluid emitters connected to the fluid distribution conduit for applying fluids to fields underneath the agricultural irrigation system; 
 a control system for controlling a speed and direction of the mobile towers and application of the fluids by the fluid emitters; and 
 a wheel track monitoring system comprising:
 a wheel track condition sensor comprising a camera for sensing a condition of a wheel track created by the mobile towers and generating corresponding wheel track condition image data, wherein the condition of the wheel track is formed behind the mobile towers; 
 a processing system in communication with the wheel track condition sensor and the control system, the processing system being operable to—
 analyze the wheel track condition image data to determine if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable, wherein the condition of the wheel track comprises a water content of soil within the wheel track; 
 generate a corrective action signal if the condition of the wheel track is unacceptable at any locations of the agricultural irrigation system the corrective action signal including an instruction to adjust a water application rate.